Wichita eagle., 1887-12-10
re aahia Daily gao Saturday gornno, 1eeenbr TO- 1887.

short" iron. little attention was paid to 1t. But
! when the chemist of the company made three
separate analyses and discovered that the usual
phosphorus was replaced by nearly ) per cent.
| of manganese oxide. the thing took another
shape. The company offered FolJambe
handsome royalty, which he at once declined.
He would sell outright or not at all. After
| some chaffering and a rough survey OF the
! bed, they took all the farm but the widows
five acres, and paid $4,000.
"a fool for luck" was the general comment.
| But the reputation of Foljambe for down.
right folly was at its height when it leaked
out afterward that he had settled s35, $50 on
| Mrs. Peabody-that is, the interest during
| life to her, and the principal to her daughter
afterward. No words sufficed to express the
| wonder, contempt and disgust ct this act Of
| folly.
| Old Figgs died about this time, and
Oalchieze offered me share in the business
| if could put in $1,000. l had saved a little
! over half of that by pinching and screwing,
I but | was puzzled about the rest. FolJambe
| found it out, and gave me the money on my
note Some folk may think this folly on his
part, but l did not. Neither did he, for 1
have paid it back long since
w
she sent Rebecca off to boarding school, as
she could well afford to, and there the girl re-
manned for four years, barring visits home at
vacation. When she came back TO stay she
had grown into a handsome self possessed
young woman, and she was quite admired by
the young fellows around. In addition to
good looks and good manners, she would have
a nice sum in hard cash i'll time-a good
thing to add TO a young mans family re-
sources. But she was of domestic turn,
stayed at home with her mother and rarely
went abroad. No sutton seemed to meet
favor in her eyes, though she had several
During Rebecca'S absence at school Fol-
jamie had been going along quietly, and
people had ceased TO talk OF him; but shortly
after her return he broke out again.
One dav an old man in a dusty suit and
boots that had been blackened q week before,
and who carried a small gripsack, got out at
Brantford station and inquired If the Widow
Peabody lived at the old farm yet. We soon
learned that he was the long lost David Pea
BODY, who had come back after all these
years, apparently as poor as church mouse,
and doubtless with intent to sponge on the
Widow Peabody. He was not SO very old
either. but looked ike a man whom hard
lilck and a hot climate had dried up and
wrinkled.
To our surprise he was made welcome by
the widow and Rebecca, and took up his
abode there. He was a queer specimen.
After the dust of travel had been brushed off
he was clean enough, but his clothes were of
ordinary material and well worn. 1t was
evident that he was poor, but he didn't seem
to mind it. He walked about and held him.
self up as though he owned one-half the
town and meant to buy the other. He was
ready with his tongue, too, and if any one
said a disagreeable or impairment thing could
repay i5 with interest. Foljambe took great
notion to him and told me that the old man
was keen and had wonderfully practical bus
mess ideas for one who had not profted by
his precepts, thing | have observed to be
not uncommon. A man can pick up moTo
valuable hints from the unsuccessful around
him than he can from sharp business men.
So the two grew quite intimate, and almost
any fine evening they might be seen III COM
fab together on the widows front porch, with
the widow and Rebecca seated near, inter
ested listeners to their chat.
This was in August, 1850 The whole
country was in state of excitement 1t was
known that reconciliation between the war
ring Democratic factions was impossible and
that Lincoln would be elected The question
was, would there be war; Foljambe suddenly
put the plantation in charge of Old Uncle
David and went of south. He visited Vir-
ginia, North Carolina and Georgia, and was
gone about two months. When he came back
| ASKED him: Does the south really mean
fight, Mr. Foljambe?"
1T really does" he replied, sadly. Il don't
think they'll be able 10 keep it up more than
a wear or so, unless England interfere, for we
have the most money and the most men; but
it will be fierce While it lasts. 1t is going 70
disturbances very much, as well as domestic
relations"
The first thing Foljambe did on coming
home was to build a number OF long wooGen
sheds, some of them irclosed; and he kept the
carpenters going dsy and night. The whole
nSChborhood was aroused. Was he going
into sheep raising on large scale, or what
browning folly WAS Fool jim at now? was
his only partisan Every one said he was
going stark, staring mad But the excitement
grew to "a hGbbub when there came carload
after carload, by the railway, OF barrels Of
rosin ard bales OF cOttCn-the former stored
under the opan ard the latter IN the inclOSed
sheds. The cotton did not excite so much
astonishment, but the rosin! Such an amount
of it! Some one had. the curiosity TO nose
around and count the number OF barrels piled
in one of the long and high sheds. Ten thoe-
sand OF theml And there were i've moro such
sheds, and iammed full Sixty thousand
barrels of rosin! And no end OF cotton balesi
What would he do with it. What could ne
do with it!
The only partisan he had, as l have said,
was myself, ana l picked mp dozen quarrels
aboutit Some one asked old Peabody aboQtit.
Uncle David, is Fool Jim GAVIN to set up
a cotton factory an ship yard! Nebbe
he'll SEN his ships down by the railroad"
sonny" saij David, pack your head in
ice James Foljanlbe knows more IN one
minute than you're likely to know in year"
In the midst OF this ciamor came Q bit of
gossip not too pleasant, There was venom in
it. Bill Cowan, who ives always nosing
about, and kept bis eyes open and his tongue
busy. came INTO the sLop one day to get u
plug of chewing tobacco.
Tell YOU what, Oalchieze,' he said, adj
dressing my partnor, Il guess they'll call Fool
Jim, villain jim afore long
"What do you mean, you scampi7 1 de-
man!ed angrily.
scamp yourself, an see how you like it,
he retorted. "Wlat do mean? I'll tell you,
an I amt afraid to. ! was croSsin' by
Widow Peahodys last night and what does /
see but Jim Foljambe with his arm around
Becky Pcabody's waist, an she a-leaniu' up I
to him like a sicl, kitten to hot brick.
Stands to reason he's foolin' the girl. Every
body knows he's sweet on Miss Elton, an
she's got dollars TO Becky Peabody's dimes.
N,, S,-S4 s,,,oSa T-al;o,nl,a r,.aor. o-,--hi,,r-
but fooim' Becky, do you; That's why he
l,l,-,,l